NSW man admits to riding motorised esky while drunk on Australia Day
The NSW man who took a motorised esky for a spin on Australia Day has pleaded guilty to drink driving.
James Wallace, 21, has admitted that he mounted his friend’s petrol-powered esky and drove it up and down Argyle Street in Camden, in Sydney's south west, to the amusement of crowds watching on.
Wallace was also recorded doing "wheelies" on the super-charged beverage cooler outside the Camden Hotel.
But the motorised fun came to an abrupt end when highway patrol officers pulled Wallace over about 7.30pm on January 26.
Wallace didn’t appear in court on Tuesday, with his lawyer stating the 21-year-old plans to fight the charge of driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle.
“We’ll be in a position to talk to you about it on the next occasion,” Wallace’s lawyer told media outside court.
The charges came just one month after a Victorian man had his probationary licence cancelled for three months when he was caught riding a motorised esky while drunk.
The 20-year-old Kilsyth man was also fined after he was pulled over in Mooroolbark in December 2016.
"To have this young man riding around poorly lit streets whilst alcohol affected, with no vehicle lights and not wearing any protective equipment, it's simply a recipe for disaster," leading senior constable Adam Dickenson said at the time.
Wallace’s matter will return to court in April.
